› added 10 years ago

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TIL in 1440 a clerical error accidentally gave independence to a square mile of Italy, forming an anarchist republic that lasted over four hundred years.

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e0Wek TIL that in July 2018, Russian scientists collected and analysed 300 prehistoric worms from the permafrost and thawed them. 2 of the ancient worms revived and began to move and eat. One is dated at 32,000 years old, the other 41,700 years old.
woJxo TIL in 2011, Dr. Pepper Ten's "It's not for women" ad campaign included a Facebook page that was for men only and the label and cans for the drink used "gunmetal gray" so it would appeal to men. About 40% of the people at the time who tried it were women.
JkPV TIL there is a rare blood group known as ‘h/h’ or ‘Oh’ which was first discovered in 1952 at Bombay, India, hence christening another name ‘Bombay Blood Group’. This blood is so rare that only 4 in a million would have it globally; however, every 1 in 10,000 have it in Bombay.
v1p1R TIL of Alexis Carrel, a surgeon who pioneered vascular sutures after other doctors claimed the French president Sadi Carnot could not have been saved after being assassinated with a knife
yQrEe TIL that it can take up to 40 years after exposure to asbestos for any symptoms of an asbestos-related disease to manifest (mesothelioma etc). By this stage, it's often too late to do anything to reverse the effects of the disease.